On Monday, I couldn’t wait to share what I wrote in the Hamster Journal with the rest of the class. Finally, after lunch, it was my turn.
“Come to the rug, everybody,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Freddy is going to tell us about his weekend with Harold.”
I sat down in the teacher’s chair, and before I even said one word, Max blurted out, “What color nail polish did Harold get this weekend? Candy Apple Red?”
“Max,” said Mrs. Wushy. “What did I tell you about yelling out? It’s not your turn right now. It’s Freddy’s.”
I cleared my throat, opened the journal to my page, and started reading:
Harold had a really fun weekend. Robbie and I built him a spaceship, and he flew to the planet Greep. There he met an alien named Teetoo who gave him a tour of the planet.
“I took a picture of Harold in the spaceship. You can see him right here,” I said, turning the journal around and showing everyone the picture. “He’s in the cockpit.”
“Cool,” said Max. “That sounds like a lot more fun than getting your hair and nails done by Miss Fancypants.”
“Max,” said Mrs. Wushy, and she put her finger to her lips. “Go ahead, Freddy.”
Then Robbie and I had a skateboard contest, and Harold got to be the judge.
“Yes, Jessie,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Thank you for raising your hand.”
“Who won the contest?”
“No one. Harold fell asleep before he could announce the winner.”
Everyone giggled.
I fed Harold some toast, but what he really wanted was chocolate-chip pancakes.
Chloe raised her hand. “Why didn’t you give him any pancakes?”
“Because the instructions on the cage say, ‘Toast or hamster food. Nothing else!’”
“Well, I gave him a piece of chocolate-chip cookie, and he loved it!”
“You’re lucky you didn’t kill him,” said Max.
“Don’t be silly. Cookies don’t kill you. Besides, they were homemade.”
“Cookies aren’t good for hamsters, Chloe,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Boys and girls, when it’s your turn to take Harold home, please follow the instructions like Freddy did and only give Harold toast or his hamster food. We want to make sure he stays healthy. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us, Freddy?” “Yes, one more thing.”
Robbie looked up at me with surprise.
“I have some advice.”
“Oh, you do?” said Mrs. Wushy. “I’m sure everyone would like to hear it.”
I picked up the journal one more time and looked right at Robbie.
Make sure you close the latch tightly after you give Harold food and water. You wouldn’t want him to escape.
“That is good advice,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Thank you for sharing your weekend with us, Freddy. It sounds as if you and Harold had a wonderful time together. I’m so glad your mother let you take him home.”
“Me, too. We had a great time.”
I closed the journal, handed it back to Mrs. Wushy, and picked up Harold’s cage.
“This was a weekend we’ll never forget. Right, little guy?” I said, as we both pressed our noses against the side of the cage. Then I smiled at Harold, and I know he smiled back.
